In Holland, Dekker has taken on an intense period of training to try to convince the authorities she is capable of completing the journey, her lawyer Peter de Lange told the court. She has passed a first aid diploma, become accustomed to lack of sleep and arranged to do schoolwork online.

But the court in the southern Dutch city of Middelburg ruled that she should remain under state supervision for at least another month. Social workers had asked for a two-month extension of the order.

Under the conditions of the ruling, Dekker has been allowed to live at home but her parents have had to consult child protection authorities about all major decisions.

Dekker lives with her father, who is encouraging her record-breaking plans, while her mother has objected. The couple are separated.

Last December, out of apparent frustration at the court order, Dekker fled alone to the Dutch Caribbean island of St Maarten. When she returned two days later, she was interviewed by the police.